Sss...
Zhang Rongfang relaxed his legs, along with his waist and back, all of which suddenly started heating up.
Countless hot currents surged and stirred within his body.
He began to feel dizzy, scenes of himself repeatedly practicing the Dragon and Snake Movement steps surfaced in his mind.
With the continuous repetition of memories, Zhang Rongfang's legs gradually began to swell, becoming firm and strong.
The leg bones were slightly elongated, causing his overall height to increase by at least three centimeters.
Muscles were constantly torn and reformed, transforming from ordinary to stronger each time.
This phenomenon lasted for several minutes before slowly coming to an end.
Phew....
Under the candlelight, Zhang Rongfang stood up from the chair and flexed his legs.
At this moment, he felt that the strength of his waist and legs was much stronger than before. Furthermore, the Heart Method of the Dragon and Snake Ascension Skill was extremely proficient in his heart.
With a thought, Zhang Rongfang suddenly lunged forward.
Sss....
As he walked with a bent posture, his body was close to the ground, with dense, light steps that vaguely emitted faint snake-like sounds.
The sound was not loud, far quieter than the footsteps of ordinary people.
In the mountain woods, it would easily be masked by the sound of wind and leaves.
In an instant, within the small space of the room, Zhang Rongfang had run back and forth five or six times in just a few seconds.
Abruptly stopping, his face did not turn red nor was he out of breath, transitioning quickly and smoothly.
"What a great cultivation technique!"
Involuntarily praising, Zhang Rongfang felt that although the Dragon and Snake Ascension Skill did not improve his overall strength, it greatly enhanced the power of his legs and movement.
Moreover, after mastering this technique, his speed was far faster than before.
'With improved speed and combining the Mountain-shaped Talisman for a sprint attack, the power would increase significantly.'
Feeling satisfied, Zhang Rongfang acknowledged.
The facts proved that his choice to focus on easily accessible techniques to quickly master was indeed the correct path.
At least it significantly enhanced his combat ability in a short time.
Having used up all his attribute points and improved the technique, Zhang Rongfang felt content, washed his face and feet, and went to sleep.
*
*
*
Boom!
Xiao Rong's face turned pale, slamming his palm on the armrest, breaking it into several sections scattered on the ground.
He looked at the letter on the tea table, the words on it causing his chest to heave violently.
Jiao Teng, Zhao Dachong, and Hong Da stood nearby, also filled with anger.
"Jiao Teng... how could you lose sight of the junior sister!!? Now she's missing, what good is it for you to return alone!?"
Zhao Dachong's face was contorted as he glared at Jiao Teng in anger.
"Disciple... has sinned! I was just away for a short bathroom break.... who would have thought..."
Jiao Teng looked guilty, kneeling with a thud, pounding his head in front of Xiao Rong.
"Stop arguing, the only good news now is that the opponent has another purpose, they likely won't harm the junior sister. We must quickly ransom her back." Hong Da said in a deep voice.
"The letter mentions that only Master can go down the mountain to the agreed location." He continued, "But we can completely follow secretly behind, ready to assist at any time."
"To capture someone from within Qinghe Palace... Where is Chen Wuyou??!" Xiao Rong suddenly asked.
"I went to look for him, he's... indeed not in his room." Jiao Teng said in a deep voice. "The junior sister was in the Dao Palace, if she was forcefully taken away in front of many Daoists, she definitely had a chance to scream, but she didn't. Obviously.... the only one who could make her cooperate like this is someone she trusts and knows best."
"Chen Wuyou!!!" Zhao Dachong gritted his teeth in anger. "I knew it was him!"
"What about Zhang Rongfang? Is there any possibility it was him?" Xiao Rong took a deep breath and asked.
"Impossible! Xiaoying never trusted Junior Rongfang! Master, do you still not believe Junior Rongfang is innocent!?" Zhao Dachong raised his voice in questioning, with a grim expression.
"Pack up your things, we'll go down the mountain together tomorrow!" Xiao Rong did not respond, "Hong Da, you don't go, inform the Supervisor completely, he will know what to do."
"Yes, Master!" Hong Da said in a deep voice, clasping his fists.
"Dachong, Jiao Teng, come with me, we must be careful not to be discovered. Our priority is finding the opponent and saving her!" Xiao Rong instructed.
"This time, the rescue team should be small but skilled, everyone bring transmission tubes. Once we've safely rescued Xiaoying, immediately launch it to let the Supervisor bring reinforcements for a siege."
"Yes!"
The group responded in unison.
Though Jiao Teng joined the chorus, a hint of different color flashed in his eyes.
*
*
*
The next day.
In the rear courtyard of Zhang Xuan's pavilion.
With Zhang Xuan absent, Zhang Xintai and Zhang Rongfang exchanged punches and palms in the courtyard, carefully practicing moves.
Zhang Xintai had one hand behind his back, dealing with Zhang Rongfang with one hand, looking calm.
As a Grade Two, both his strength, speed, and explosiveness surpassed Zhang Rongfang.
After all, Zhang Rongfang was still at the Muscle Forging stage, his physical attributes not yet developed to reach the grade level.
Soon, Zhang Xintai increased his force, pushing away the move and stepping back.
"Alright, we've practiced enough moves. Let's take a break."
"Okay." Zhang Rongfang nodded.
"By the way, Rongfang, this morning I saw Xiao Rong and several of his disciples going down the mountain. Judging by their expressions, something must have happened. Do you know about it?" Zhang Xintai curiously inquired.
"Down the mountain?" Zhang Rongfang shook his head. "I returned with Senior Brother, and haven't left the room since, how would I know?"
"I also heard..." Before Zhang Xintai could finish his sentence, a voice came from outside the door.
"Senior Brother Zhang Xintai, the Supervisor invites you to the Profound Heart Hall for an assembly."
The voice was clear and steady, quickly departing after speaking.
"So urgent, looks like there's an urgent matter, I'll leave first, we can talk later." Zhang Xintai heard the sound and said to Zhang Rongfang.
Without delay, he quickly walked out of the backyard, exited through the back door, and headed in the direction of the Profound Heart Hall.
Zhang Rongfang stood still, recalling what Senior Brother Zhang Xintai had said, inexplicably linking it to the scene he saw last night of Qi Mountain Daoist transporting a box.
"Could it be that something has really happened?"
Standing in place, he practiced the Morning Energy Talisman and Mist Smoke Step again, but unfortunately, his mind was unsettled, worried about Senior Sister Zhao Dacong, so he couldn't concentrate, and the effect was not good.
At this point, he didn't force it, left the pavilion, and returned to his room.
As soon as he took out the key to unlock the door, Zhang Rongfang immediately saw a note placed on his table.
"Hmm??"
He glanced around the note, his gaze falling on the slightly wider window crack.
It must have been slipped in through the window crack.
Walking forward, Zhang Rongfang cautiously used a cloth, separating his hand, to open the note.
There was a line written on the note: Be sure to be careful of Chen Wuyou and his son.
The handwriting was crooked, as if it was written with great difficulty.
Zhang Rongfang immediately recognized it as written by Senior Sister Zhao Dacong.
When Zhao Dacong was young, her family favored boys over girls and she didn't have the opportunity to attend school to learn characters, so she only started learning slowly after coming to Qinghe Palace.
On regular days, she would often ask Zhang Rongfang about writing issues.
So Zhang Rongfang could recognize it was written by Senior Sister Zhao Dacong.
He pinched the note.
'Why is Senior Sister passing me a note at this time? She should already know that I have always suspected that Chen Wuyou is the....'
'Indeed, the handwriting is that of Senior Sister, unless someone is adept at imitating handwriting.
So, why is she passing me a note at this time?'
He couldn't figure it out, so he simply pinched the note and went out to find Zhao Dacong.
It's still morning at this time, his shift today means he doesn't need to do morning lessons.
Along the alleys, he arrived at the disciples' quarters where Zhao Dacong lived.
The room was locked, and it was empty inside, with no one around.
Zhang Rongfang quickly went to the Martial Cultivator training ground, where Zhao Dacong often practiced martial arts.
No one was there either.
And the previous secret training ground in the back mountain was also deserted.
At this point, Zhang Rongfang vaguely felt something was wrong.
Returning to the disciples' quarters, he swiftly asked a few passing servant disciples.
"Senior Sister Zhao went down the mountain with Master Mingguang this morning?" a servant disciple said in surprise.
"This morning?" Zhang Rongfang asked.
"Yes, along with several other disciples of Master Mingguang, Senior Brother Jiao Teng also went." The servant disciple replied.
"Do you know where they went?"
"I don't know, but you can go ask Senior Brother Hong Da and Senior Sister Chen Hui, they're still on the mountain. I just delivered some clean shoes."
"Thank you!"
Zhang Rongfang cupped his fists, turned and quickly left.
As for Xiao Rong, he didn't care. The favor from before, he helped several times, and when he was expelled from the sect, it was already repaid.
But Senior Sister Zhao Dacong took good care of him, and this time, her sudden note might indicate something wrong.
Otherwise, why wouldn't she come and tell him face to face, but instead use a method she was unfamiliar with like a note?
The most likely reason is she didn't have time to say it in person, or it wasn't convenient for her to find him.
Considering the early morning trip down the mountain,
it's likely that Xiao Rong encountered something, so he took Senior Sister Zhao Dacong and others down the mountain.
The situation might be urgent....
Without pause, Zhang Rongfang immediately headed to Hong Da's residence.
*
*
*
Thirteen miles outside Qinghe Palace, by a pond.
A fine waterfall cascaded down from a height, crashing into the green pond below, splashing water droplets and mist.
A group of people, dressed in white and blue Daoist robes, hurriedly passed through the forest to the pond.
"This is it." The leading old Daoist, wearing gray gloves, a pair of fitted leather boots, and slender cloth straps tied around his arms.
His eyes were sharp, with a hint of urgency on his face.
This person was the recently descended Master Instructor, Xiao Rong.
Behind him stood his disciples Jiao Teng and Zhao Dacong.
The three searched nearby for a while but found no other figures.
Finally, in desperation, they could only come here as agreed.
"Someone's coming!" Jiao Teng suddenly warned, pointing to the other side of the pond in the forest.
Xiao Rong and the others quickly looked in that direction, indeed seeing a few slender, masked men, holding a jumble of weapons, gradually emerging from the forest, escorting a familiar figure.
The three took a closer look, and that figure was indeed Xiao Rong's daughter, Xiao Qingying, whom they had been searching for.
At this moment, Xiao Qingying's clothes were relatively intact, but her mouth was stuffed with a cloth, only able to make muffled sounds.
"Xiaoying! You...." Xiao Rong immediately became agitated and stepped forward.
Suddenly, he felt a severe pain in his back.
Bang!!
A huge force struck him hard on his back.
Xiao Rong was knocked forward on the spot, and his chest felt tight.
Puff.
He opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood.